


Like a Passing Storm

by KyleMeMaybe



Category: South Park
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 12:35:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17642945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyleMeMaybe/pseuds/KyleMeMaybe
Summary: Panic attacks are just a part of life for Tweek, much as he hates it...especially when they happen in front of other people. But at least there's one person always willing to be there for him, like a shelter in the middle of a storm.





	Like a Passing Storm

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first time writing for Creek. This was initially supposed to be an exercise in just writing these characters for myself (that's why there's no real set-up for it), but I ended up liking the final product enough to publish it, so here's a short thing to christen this account. Hopefully some people like it!

Tweek was no stranger to panic attacks. He knew, all too well, that horrible feeling of his heart pounding too hard and too fast in his chest, of losing his breath, of being consumed with fear and thinking that maybe _this_ time, he was actually going to die. It was awful, and he hated it—hated suffering silently through every attack, hated how drained and shaky they left him feeling, hated how they _always_ seemed to happen without warning, for no reason at all.

 

But what he  _ really  _ hated was when he had an attack in front of other people. It was bad enough everyone saw him as a spaz because of all his other nervous habits and his paranoia. He didn’t need them to see him completely break down like that on top of everything else. Yet unfortunately it happened more often than he’d like to admit, and unless he could run off somewhere and hide until the worst of it passed, everyone saw it. Everyone knew he had issues, and everyone thought he was weird.

 

At least, most people did.

 

Craig never treated him that way. He might not have always understood the reasons behind Tweek’s panic attacks—even  _ Tweek  _ didn’t usually know why they happened—and he may not have been the most emotionally-attuned person either, but he did always try to make sense of it and help comfort Tweek when they happened. But even though he appreciated the effort, Tweek still hated having attacks in front of Craig, because it made him feel insecure and vulnerable. It always made him question why Craig would stick around someone who needed so much attention and constant reassurance. Maybe he felt like he  _ had  _ to, even though he insisted otherwise.

 

That was just one of the many thoughts cycling through his mind now, as he struggled to breathe and pay attention what Craig was saying to him.

 

“Tweek...it’s okay, you’re going to be okay,” he said reassuringly, tightly holding Tweek’s clammy hands in his own warm ones. “Look at me, okay? Just try to breathe.”

 

Tweek inhaled and exhaled shakily, his chest aching with the effort. He forced himself to look at Craig, watching his mouth as he spoke, because it at least gave himself something to focus on aside from the the thoughts spinning out of control in his own mind. 

 

“It’s okay...you’re okay,” Craig repeated, and Tweek tried his best to believe him. “It’s just a panic attack, it’ll be over soon…”

 

Tweek took a few more slow, deep breaths, willing his heart to stop racing so much and his thoughts to ease up. It always took him awhile to calm down again, but with Craig there, he found it a little easier. Eventually, everything seemed to slow down, so that he could catch up to his own thoughts and breathe normally once again. 

 

But...that didn’t necessarily mean everything was  _ better. _

Slowly he pulled his hands away from Craig’s, wringing them together instead, dropping his gaze from his boyfriend’s eyes. Now that he was thinking more clearly again, one thought kept ringing out, louder than the other ones.  _ God, I did it again--I just completely broke down for no reason. Why does this always happen?! And why does he still put up with it? _

 

“Are you...are you okay?” Craig asked at last, breaking the silence.

 

“Ngh…” Tweek whimpered, shaking his head slightly. He really didn’t feel okay. Exhaustion coupled with humiliation weighed heavily on him, and for a minute he wouldn’t meet Craig’s eyes, sure that he was probably thinking the same thing everyone else always thought of him.  _ What a freak. _

 

But if that was what was going through his mind, Craig didn’t let on. Instead, he asked, in what for him was a surprisingly gentle voice, “Do you want to talk about it?”

 

Tweek hesitated, finally lifting his gaze to match Craig’s. There wasn’t a trace of insincerity or disgust in his expression, as Tweek had secretly feared. In fact, all he saw in Craig’s eyes was concern.

 

At last, Tweek mumbled, “Yeah...I think so.” Talking always helped him feel better, even if only a little, and especially with someone like Craig who so often helped him put everything into perspective.

 

“Okay. So let’s talk.” Craig paused thoughtfully, and then ventured somewhat cautiously, “Say, Tweek...what exactly does it feel like for you, when you’re having a panic attack? Like, how would you describe it?”

 

“It’s...it’s like…” Tweek wracked his mind, grasping for just the right words to describe it, when he thought of a perfect analogy. “It’s like...a storm. A storm that’s only going on in my head. You know? It’s unpredictable—I never know when it’s coming, or how bad it’ll be, but I’m  _ always  _ scared of it happening.”

 

Craig nodded slightly, as if encouraging him to continue. Tweek drew in another trembling breath before doing so.

 

“And it’s just...when I’m having an attack, I know it’s happening, but I’m not in control of  _ anything.  _ My thoughts go all crazy and my heart speeds up, and it’s like...it’s really, really scary. Because I really feel like something is wrong with me…” His hands found their way into his hair then, mindlessly tugging at it.

 

Craig gently pried Tweek’s hands away from his hair before he could yank out any handfuls of it. “Okay...well, maybe you can try to think about something else when you feel an attack coming on?” he suggested. “Like, I don’t know...try thinking of a field of flowers on a sunny day, or something.”

 

“I  _ have  _ tried that.” Tweek let out an exasperated sigh. He wasn’t really annoyed at Craig, but he couldn’t help it—sometimes it was a little frustrating when people offered up the most basic solution as if he hadn’t already thought of it. “It’s not that easy, though...once the panic starts to set in I just can’t make my thoughts work the way I want them to.”

 

“Ah. Okay.” Craig tapped his chin as he thought, and then finally he spoke again. “Well, how about this—maybe you need to think about it differently. You said your panic attacks are like a storm, right?”

 

Tweek nodded slowly.

 

“So maybe you should think of it like this,” Craig went on. “Storms are definitely scary...but they don’t last forever. Neither do your panic attacks. They come whenever they want to and you don’t have a say in it, but at least you know it’ll come to an end. It’s bad, but it’s temporary. Maybe if you can remind yourself of that, it’ll be easier to calm down.” 

 

Tweek considered this, quiet for a moment. “So like...try to think of my panic attacks as like, a passing storm…?”

 

“Right,” Craig affirmed. “Just tell yourself, it’ll be over before you know it, and you’ll be okay. Because you’ve made it through every other attack in the past, so you just have to keep that in mind.”

 

It made sense, though Tweek was worried it still might not work for him—it wasn’t as easy to think logically and remind himself of that when he was in the middle of a panic attack. But it was worth giving it a shot next time, at least. “I’ll try it...maybe it’ll help.”

 

“Yeah. And if not, you can always come to me if you need.” Craig gave him a little smile then, in that genuine way Tweek didn’t see often on him but always liked to see. “Feel a little better now, babe?”

 

“Yeah...I do.” Tweek managed a small smile in return. Physically he was tired, but mentally he was a lot calmer now, just by talking it through. “Thanks, Craig.” 

 

“You’re welcome. So...you feel like watching some TV, maybe?”

 

“Yeah, sounds good.”

 

That’s how they spent the rest of the afternoon--Craig’s favorite show,  _ Red Racer,  _ was on, and they ended up watching several episodes. Craig let Tweek rest his head on his shoulder, knowing how wiped out his panic attacks always left him, and Tweek allowed himself to cuddle up close without reservation for once. He was starting to believe, at least a little, that what Craig did for him wasn’t out of obligation--that maybe he really did care, not because he felt like he had to, but because he genuinely liked Tweek. Maybe Tweek was just so used to people simply putting up with him that he’d convinced himself it must be the case here, too. 

  
Craig Tucker really  _ was  _ different from everyone else. He was strong and dependable, like a shelter in a storm. And Tweek couldn’t have been more grateful about that.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading--I hope to get better at writing for Craig and Tweek, but for now please let me know what you think!


End file.
